


Need a Lyft?

by BazineApologist



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asshole Ben, Awkward Ben Solo, Ben POV, Crystals, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Horoscopes, Ode to the Gig Economy, Smut, sassy Rey, the smut has arrived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 10:13:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16116293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BazineApologist/pseuds/BazineApologist
Summary: Ben works as a political operative. Rey works every odd job she can.Ben has a bit of a temper. (Classic Scorpio. Not that he would know...) Rey’s not great at letting go. (Classic Cancer. She’s working on it.)When fate and the cosmos keep pushing them together, things get heated... or maybe they just gethot?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you to [Reyofdarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitslits/pseuds/reyofdarkness) for being a super beta! She even named this fic. <3 [Follow her on Tumblr too!](https://reyofdarkness.tumblr.com/) And someone give her an editing job ASAP!

It was only 11:00 a.m., but Ben Solo was already having a terrible day. Armitage Hux had been harassing him all morning about getting a sit-down with the mayor to discuss his latest asinine proposal to encourage corporate investment in the city. 

“But I’m his deputy!” Hux had practically shrieked, as if that meant anything in an administration with no fewer than six deputy mayors, five department chiefs, and one director of communications.

As the Chief of Staff, it was literally Ben Solo’s job to keep self-important sycophants like Armitage Hux as far away from Mayor Snoke as possible, outside of senior leadership meetings.

“The mayor is very busy, but you are welcome to submit a written proposal that I will look over and review before passing it on to the mayor’s desk.”

“You must think I’m an idiot, Solo!” Hux seethed. “I know you haven’t passed a single one of my office’s proposals onto the mayor.”

“Then that should tell you something about the quality of the proposals coming out of the Office of Economic Development, Hux. When I see a proposal worthy of the mayor’s attention, I will pass it on. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lunch meeting with the Chamber of Commerce that I really should be getting to.” Ben forcibly pushed the pinched ginger aside. He took special note to keep his manhandling just within the realm of professionally acceptable in order to avoid another sit-down with HR. 

Ben had, unfortunately, been there and done that when he threw a paperweight in the general direction of a college intern during a fit of pique. It only took the one visit for Ben to realize that Phasma (who, incidentally, Ben had hired as the HR head) was not to be fucked with. His subsequent referrals had only solidified that opinion.

“Oh, and Hux,” Ben tossed out as he walked out, “Ms. Stynnix has been given strict instructions that no one sees the mayor without my express approval, so do us all a favor and leave her in peace.”

The last thing Ben heard before stepping into the elevator was Hux’s affected sigh.

As the doors closed behind him, Ben pulled out his phone and pulled up the Lyft app. He quickly typed in his destination and requested the standard option. He silently cursed the bad optics preventing him from using taxpayer dollars for a luxury ride.

A notification of “Rey is 6 minutes away!” popped up on the screen, and Ben cursed again as he saw the year and model of Rey’s ride. He was, frankly, shocked that Lyft allowed such old ‘value’ vehicles to be associated with their brand.

Six minutes later, Rey pulled up and greeted him, and Ben reluctantly climbed into the front seat of the clunker (according to Ben). He sighed dramatically as he practically had to fold himself in half to fit in the seat. A tingling laugh greeted him and a British-accented voice trilled, “There’s a bar under the seat if you want to push it back.”

Ben did.

Once he was only slightly better situated, he cast a cursory glance at ‘Rey.’

He had to admit that she was very pretty, with a nice body and a sweet face. He hadn’t paid much attention to the tiny photo on the app, too distracted by the inadequacies of her vehicle, but he felt a slight attraction looking at her now. _Probably an aspiring actress,_ Ben thought, eye-rolling internally. 

“Better?” Rey asked, waiting for Ben’s grunt of assent before continuing. “Where are you headed?”

“I believe you have it entered as your destination,” Ben responded rudely.

“Oh, well, yes, just trying to make conversation. You know: ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Lunch with my mom’ ‘Fun!’ ‘Yes, she’s great!’ And then we talk about your family for the rest of the ride.”

“No need,” Ben told her shortly.

“Noted,” Rey replied, and Ben could practically see her hackles rise. 

At the next full stop, only a moment later thanks to downtown traffic, Ben heard Rey inhale deeply, pause, and exhale, before digging into her bag, pulling out a large black rock, and placing it on the dash.

Except for its inky color, Ben thought it looked like a chip of wood or a piece of slate with its rough, uneven surface. He tried hard to ignore it, but eventually:

“Alright, I’ll bite. What the hell is that?”

“That is black tourmaline.”

“And why have you chosen now to adorn your car with black…”

“Tourmaline.”

“Tourmaline?” Ben parroted.

Rey lifted her chin proudly before replying, “Black tourmaline is a protective crystal that wards off negative vibes and dark energy.” She glanced pointedly over at Ben.

He snorted. “And I suppose I’m the source of this dark energy that you’re trying to combat?”

“Obviously.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t really believe in all that hippy-dippy, antivaxxer, woo-woo crystal crap, do you? I know you’re pretty, but that’s no excuse to be ignorant.”

Rey’s mouth fell open with an indignant huff. She turned to Ben and back to the road and back to Ben and back to the road. “Okay, wow” she spluttered at him. “One, don’t call me sweetheart. I don’t know you, and even if I did, I’m not a dog or a child, so don’t patronize me. Two, I actually do believe in vaccines, I just happen to also believe there is wisdom to be gained from studying ancient practices like crystal healing. Three, are you trying to neg me? Is this some kind of red-pill come on? Because I assure you it isn’t working. Four-”

“Woah,” Ben interrupted angrily, “I am absolutely not coming on to you! And I seem to remember you telling me I had a negative, dark energy not five minutes ago, so maybe cool it with-“

“Four, we’re here.”

Ben looked around, realizing that they had in fact arrived at the downtown Marriott, where Ben was meeting inside a drab and uninspired hotel ballroom with the membership body of the city’s Chamber of Commerce.

“Well, this has certainly been… interesting,” Ben scowled as he tried to climb out of Rey’s car, miffed by how close to the ground he was currently seated. _What a piece of shit she drives._

“Wait!” Rey called as he finally hoisted himself out and up and was about to slam the door.

Ben hesitated. 

Rey grabbed the crystal off the dash and tossed it to Ben. He reached out automatically and fumbled around before barely catching it. Ben always was garbage at anything involving hand-eye coordination. Probably why Han had always had such a hard time relating to him. And why that paperweight had missed the intern…

“You can keep the crystal if you rate this ride at least four stars. If you carry it around, tourmaline can help heal a person’s internal negative energy too.” She flashed him a cheeky smile, and Ben felt the corner of his mouth shift up involuntarily in response. 

_Stop it_ , he told himself. _This woman is into crystals! She’s probably an aspiring actress! She basically called you a dick with all that negative energy crap._

He kept barely smiling at her.

Rey’s laugh tinkled out again as she reached over to shut the passenger side door. As she drove away, Ben stared down at the black rock in one hand and the phone in the other. He slipped the rock in his pocket and gave her five stars. 

 

.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _When he was still several yards away, Ben realized that he recognized the bartender. She had not looked at him yet, but Ben was sure it was the same Lyft driver who had been so impertinent on his ride to the Chamber of Commerce lunch._
> 
> _He paused, unsure of himself. Despite her -- in Ben’s opinion -- inappropriate audacity, he had found his mind wandering to her more than once over the last two weeks. He shoved his hands in his pockets and absentmindedly touched the black stone he had been carrying around since meeting her. Taking a deep breath, he continued up to the bar._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to [Reyofdarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitslits/pseuds/reyofdarkness) for her superb beta skills! I just read her fic [KAGTSRTHR](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15663450/chapters/36384537) and I highly recommend! I think my Rey and space-geek Ben would have a lot to talk about!

Two weeks later, Ben was seated in yet another hotel ballroom listening to Ormes Apolin drone on and on about the many virtues ( _HA!_ ) of Mayor Snoke. Apolin was the host of a $7,500-a-plate fundraising dinner for the Re-Elect Snoke Committee. 

Ben didn’t even want to contemplate the corruption that must have facilitated this dinner because, while Apolin and Snoke (and Ben) were members of the same corrupt party machine, there was nothing but bad blood between them. Four years ago, Apolin had been the obvious frontrunner for the mayorship. 

At the time, Ben had been surreptitiously working on Snoke’s campaign against his family’s wishes. Mayoral elections were technically bipartisan, but the political affiliations of the candidates were no secret. And Ben’s politician mother deeply distrusted Snoke’s affiliation.

All the polls leading up to the election had shown the race as being between Ormes Apolin and Rae Sloane. In fact, the polls showed those two candidates as so close in numbers, a runoff general election between the two of them was assumed. So Ben, along with the rest of the city and a fair number of people outside it, had been shocked when Snoke had won a majority of the vote in the primary, making the expected runoff obsolete. 

The only person that hadn’t been surprised by the result, in fact, had been Mayor-elect Snoke.

For Ormes Apolin to host this event, then, something significant must have been promised (or else threatened to be brought to light). 

Thankfully, Ben did not _have_ to think too hard about it. As a member of the mayor’s administration, he did not currently have a formal position on the reelection campaign.

But he did have to attend these inane dinners, fielding all the carefully coded donor requests (read: demands), made in exchange for their hefty contributions.

Forty-five minutes later, when Apolin finally wrapped up his remarks, Ben could only think one thing: he needed a drink. He stood and made his way over to the blessedly open bar. 

When he was still several yards away, Ben realized that he recognized the bartender. She had not looked at him yet, but Ben was sure it was the same Lyft driver who had been so impertinent on his ride to the Chamber of Commerce lunch. 

He paused, unsure of himself. Despite her -- in Ben’s opinion -- inappropriate audacity, he had found his mind wandering to her more than once over the last two weeks. He shoved his hands in his pockets and absentmindedly touched the black stone he had been carrying around since meeting her. Taking a deep breath, he continued up to the bar.

“Oh!” she exclaimed upon seeing him. “You again.”

“Me again,” he replied with affected coolness. 

“Do you spend all your time hanging out in hotels, then?” 

He imagined responding with something smooth and seductive, like “Yes, I could get us a room if you’d like to join me.” _But no_ , he thought, _she would definitely find that more creepy than smooth._ So instead Ben said, “I work for the mayor. This is his donor dinner.”

“Ah, so it’s you and your $7,500 that keep interrupting my Hulu-viewing experience with random attack ads ‘Paid for by the Re-Elect Snoke Committee,’” she teased.

“Only $1,500 from each ticket goes to the Re-Elect Snoke Committee, per local individual political contribution limits. The rest is divided between various-” He noticed a slight glaze come over her expression. “Nevermind,” he said. “I’m a guest of the candidate. So, unfortunately, you can’t blame me for those ads.”

“Ah, well, what can I get you then… what was your name?”

“Ben. And you are?” Ben remembered her name. Rey, like a ray of sunshine.

“Rey,” she replied. “So, what will it be?”

“Whiskey, please, neat.”

“Oh.” She bit her lip and Ben's mind briefly wandered to lustier thoughts. “Actually, I’m only supposed to serve the signature cocktails listed on that menu right there.” She pointed to a laminated sheet on a gold-gilded stand.

“You’re kidding,” he groaned, his distress knocking him right out of his NSFW daydream. Reading over the descriptions, each drink was more fussy and twee than the one before.

“Well, the orange and rose whiskey sour definitely has whiskey in it. Or the pumpkin spice old fashioned?” she tried to offer helpfully.

Ben stared at her with a level of incredulity that could only be described as excessive.

“They’re supposed to be whimsical…?” she said, her voice going very high at the end.

“If you have the whiskey for the cocktails, can’t you just give it to me neat?”

“I’m really not supposed to. And I only really learned how to make the signature drinks. The regular bartender called in sick. I’m usually a cater waiter.”

“Rey, I beg you. Just please pour two fingers of whiskey in a glass. I won’t tell anyone.”

She hesitated. “Okay,” she finally relented. “But I would like to bring your attention to the tip jar, right there.” She started pouring his drink. “Hopefully, you tip your bartenders a bit better than you tip your Lyft drivers,” she muttered, just loud enough for Ben to hear.

He laughed and reached into his wallet for a ten or maybe even a twenty. For all her impudence, Ben still found her charming. _Maybe_ because _of her impudence,_ he thought to himself, suddenly wondering if he had a masochistic streak. As he dropped a twenty in her jar he said, “But I gave you five stars! Even after you implied I was full of negative vibes and dark energy!”

“You were!” she defended.

Ben looked around quickly to make sure no one else was waiting for a drink. He was enjoying the back-and-forth with Rey and wanted it to continue.

As Rey leaned over the bar to pass him his drink, Ben couldn’t help his eyes straying down to the unbuttoned portion of her black button down.

Rey cleared her throat as she straightened and gave him a pointed look.

“Sorry. I was just admiring your pendant.” He attempted to cover his guilt by pointing out the pale yellow stone hanging around her neck. “It’s another one of your crystals, right? What is that one for?”

Rey looked like she didn’t quite buy his redirection but answered anyway. “It’s lemon chrysoprase. It helps with letting go of the past and seeking change. It gives the wearer self-confidence and security.”

“Does it work?” Ben asked. “Because I’ve got to tell you,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out the black tourmaline, “I’ve been carrying this around for two weeks, and I still made an administrative assistant cry.”

Rey gave Ben a horrified look.

“I’m not happy about it,” he added quickly.

Rey sighed dramatically. “Of course it didn’t work,” she said. “You probably didn’t program it or set your intention.”

Ben just stared at her dumbly.

Rey sighed again. “You have to cleanse it. Rinse it in water, burn sage around it, maybe even give it a moon bath. Then you have to think about your desired intention. What would you like to improve about your life? In your case, your intention should definitely be reducing your anger and negativity. Then I would recommend writing that intention down on a slip of paper and setting the crystal on it. Maybe meditate with the crystal for a while to imbue it with your intention.”

At the end of her speech, Ben was unsuccessfully suppressing laughter. “Please stop,” he forced out, “I can’t breathe.” Laughter was so out of character for Ben. _Am I drunk,_ he wondered, _or is this just the effect of being around Rey?_

“Let me guess, you’re a Capricorn?” Rey deadpanned, vastly overestimating Ben’s knowledge of New Age beliefs and practices. 

He had no idea what being a Capricorn was supposed to imply. And her shift to astrology did nothing for Ben’s composure. “I think I’m a Scorpio?” he wheezed between laughs.

Rey scoffed. “Of course you are,” she responded in a cool tone. “That explains the whole making-the-poor-admin-cry thing.”

“So you believe in crystals _and_ astrology. Do you also believe the Earth is flat?” Ben joked.

“Of course I do! Just don’t tell my particle astrophysics professor,” Rey joked back.

Ben regretted the sip of whiskey he had just taken because it ended up running down his chin unattractively while he spluttered at her: “Particle astrophysics professor?”

“Yes. I’m a physics major. A senior,” she replied a bit haughtily. She pointed behind him. “There’s a group walking up.”

Ben stepped aside, slightly dazed. While Rey served a few other people her “whimsical” signature cocktails, Ben struggled to reconcile this woman who seemed to subscribe to the farce of crystal healing and astrology with a woman pursuing a physics degree. It was irreconcilable.

Rey finished helping the small crowd and then called over to Ben. “Here, let me get you a new drink. I saw you dribble into it. Very flattering, by the way.”

Ben walked back over to her and handed her his soiled drink. “So you’re really a physics major?”

“Yes. Is that so hard to believe?”

“Yes? You like crystals and astrology. How can an honest-to-God scientist subscribe to pseudoscience like that?”

Rey shrugged and handed him a fresh drink. “There’s a fair number of devout Christian physicists. Is this really that different? It just means I enjoy things like Mars retrograde on two levels: academically and astrologically. Why can’t Mars retrograde be both a couple of months every two years where Earth’s orbit overtakes Mars’ and makes it appear as if Mars is moving backward, _and_ something that fucks up my sex life?”

This time, Ben managed to swallow his whiskey before reacting. But just barely. The effort sent him into a serious coughing fit that only stopped after Rey had given him a glass of plain water to sip on. Hearing the words “sex life” come out of Rey’s mouth did things to him. Once Ben had sufficiently recovered, he asked, “Is that really what supposedly happens when Mars is in retrograde?”

“One of the things, yeah.”

“Is Mars in retrograde right now?”

Rey raised her eyebrow at him. “No.”

Just as Ben was about to say something else, preferably something flirty, fucking Armitage Hux walked up and ordered something called a key lime pie martini. Ben scoffed at the lime and cookie wafer garnish and Rey smirked at him.

Hux turned to Ben. “Mayor Snoke has been looking for you, Solo. There are several donors very interested in getting something on the schedule with him. Nothing like quid pro quo, of course,” he clarified, possibly for Rey’s benefit because Ben knew better. “But they can only do it through you. Why, you’re like a glorified secretary!” Hux laughed at his own bad humor.

Ben looked over to see Snoke summoning him. “Alright, I’m coming,” he said.

Ben turned to say goodbye to Rey. If he hadn’t been a little drunk before, he must have been now because he was feeling uncharacteristically bold. He was planning to ask her for her phone number. Unfortunately, Rey had a small line of people she was serving, and Ben couldn’t wait for her to finish up. Mayor Snoke was not a patient man.

_Probably for the best,_ the sober part of Ben’s brain thought. Sober Ben was good at keeping his emotions in check. Well, except for anger. But he certainly didn’t hope or pine or feel things for pretty Lyft drivers/fill-in bartenders. _Drunk Ben should listen to sober Ben._

But he still maintained the tiny hope that he would get back to Rey at some point over the course of the evening. He kept glancing over at her as he attempted to schmooze with donors. Sometimes, he caught her eye, and she would make an amused or an exasperated face. Sometimes, she’d just smile at him. He always smiled back in his own way that was barely a smile.

When Snoke was finally satisfied that Ben had met his professional obligations, Ben looked over at the bar only for his stomach to twist in disappointment as he realized that the bar was closed and Rey was gone. 

Ben immediately regretted not asking for her number. _Next time,_ he thought, _Sober Ben should shut the hell up._

 

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this fic is going to be entirely from Ben's POV, I will occasionally provide (totally unnecessary and self indulgent) Rey POV insights in the notes. In this chapter, Rey suspects Ben's interest, but doesn't quite return it... yet. Thinking Ben might ask for her number, Rey is planning an elaborate reenactment of the plot of Serendipity using Ben's tip and some campaign merchandise. Thankfully for everyone, he never asks. Rey is surprised to feel disappointed.
> 
> Next chapter: We learn more about the origin of Rey's New Age fascination. Also: dogs and DJ.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _As DJ headed back behind the construction barrier, a voice behind Ben called out, “For a minute there, I thought you might choke him.”_
> 
> _Ben whipped around, recognizing the voice as the one that had been haunting him for the last few weeks. Rey stood before him, dressed casually, hair half-up, dog leash in hand. Ben stared at her, not breaking eye contact until he felt something crash directly into his shins._
> 
> _“Beebee, down!” Rey commanded, breaking eye contact. Ben looked down to see a round, orange-and-white ball of fluff apparently attempting to knock him over. “What is it?” he asked with mock confusion._
> 
> _Rey looked at him incredulously. “ _She’s_ Beebee VIII,” Rey responded. “She’s a Pomeranian. A dog…?”_
> 
> _“No way,” Ben replied definitively. “I think you’re mistaken. That’s not a dog. Are you sure it’s not a toy?”_
> 
> _“Oh, you’re one of those people,” Rey replied, rolling her eyes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [reyofdarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitslits/pseuds/reyofdarkness) for beta’ing. If you guys are looking for something sweet, and you like the idea of single dad Ben (“Me! Me!”), check out her WIP [In Residence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16003430/chapters/37340477).
> 
> If you’re sick of all this fluff I’ve been serving up and just want me to get to the smut already, read the fic I’m beta’ing [Cut The Noise](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15741822/chapters/36603807). It has A+ smut, sometimes not between Rey and Ben...

Ben finished reading his print copy of the Wall Street Journal (he hated the digital edition) and took one last swig of his French press coffee. He glanced at his watch and realized he needed to leave for work soon. He pulled up the Lyft app and started typing in the address of City Hall.

Ben’s luxury crossover had been out of the shop for several weeks, and yet every morning he pulled up Lyft and requested a ride. And every morning someone that wasn’t Rey picked up the ride request. This morning was no different. Ben saw the notification “Snap is 10 minutes away!” and he immediately cancelled, just like he did every morning. He tried again a minute or two later. “Jess is 14 minutes away!” Cancel.

After spending 10 minutes requesting and cancelling rides, Ben finally just picked up his keys and headed out to his car. 

He would try again at lunch. And the next time he had a meeting outside of City Hall. And when he was headed home for the day. He’d paid an exorbitant amount in cancellation fees, and he was shocked that he hadn’t been banned from the app yet, but the possibility of Rey finally picking up his ride request kept him returning nearly every time he needed to get from one location to another. 

Ben turned his key, and the sound of talk radio immediately filled the roomy interior. A disembodied personality was loudly shouting their opinion. Ben turned it up and tried to pay attention, hoping the loud, impassioned voices would help distract him from a tinkling laugh playing on loop in his head.

——

A few hours later, Ben stood in one of the city’s parks, arguing with a contractor about the new botanical gardens project. (Ben drove himself there, but only after requesting and cancelling three Lyft rides.)

“Look, DJ, I don’t care about your change order request. I just need your reassurance that the project will be completed by the end of the month.”

“It's like I told Mitaka in the Parks Department: I can’t complete the project on time unless he approves my change order request.”

“Completing the project on time would have been completing it four months ago,” Ben responded, his jaw clenched.

“No need to get testy,” DJ responded in a listless tone. His apathy enraged Ben. “It’s not my fault there were weather delays and the work took longer,” DJ continued.

“It rained. Barely. For a few days,” Ben gritted out.

“And my crew isn’t used to working in those kinds of conditions.”

“You’re a thief, DJ. We both know that. You purposely underbid this project, just like you always do, so that your bid would be chosen. And now you’re filing change order request after change order request so you can milk every penny out of the city. This has already cost twice as much as the highest bid submitted. How does it feel to be an amoral grifter, robbing the taxpayer blind?”

DJ smirked. “You work for Snoke,” he said simply. “How does it feel for you?”

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, we both know this project is outside my purview. But Mayor Snoke wants this completed so he can shake hands and kiss babies at the ribbon cutting. The ribbon cutting that is scheduled for the beginning of next month, before Election Day.”

“So you’re here to intimidate me into completing the project? Snoke didn’t trust Mitaka to bully me, so he sent you instead?”

Ben felt himself losing control, so he reached into his pocket and touched the black stone. He closed his eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. When he opened his eyes, DJ was smirking at him again.

“No,” Ben finally responded. “I’m here to make a deal. If you can assure me that the project will be completed before the end of the month, I will fast track your change order request and make sure it’s approved. Further, if you deliver, I will not suspend you from bidding on government projects in the future. You and I both know that you have proven yourself ‘not sufficiently responsible’ enough to justify suspension or debarment.” 

DJ’s smirk had disappeared sometime around Ben bringing up suspension. Government contracts were a lucrative source of business for contractors, and losing the ability to bid on them could be potentially devastating for their bottom line. “So-Solo. No need to-to-to even consider that. It’s a deal,” DJ stammered out, clearly affected by Ben’s threat.

“I’m so glad we understand each other,” Ben breathed out, relieved. 

As DJ headed back behind the construction barrier, a voice behind Ben called out, “For a minute there, I thought you might choke him.”

Ben whipped around, recognizing the voice as the one that had been haunting him for the last few weeks. Rey stood before him, dressed casually, hair half-up, dog leash in hand. Ben stared at her, not breaking eye contact until he felt something crash directly into his shins.

“Beebee, down!” Rey commanded, breaking eye contact. Ben looked down to see a round, orange-and-white ball of fluff apparently attempting to knock him over. “What is it?” he asked with mock confusion.

Rey looked at him incredulously. “ _She’s_ Beebee VIII,” Rey responded. “She’s a Pomeranian. A dog…?”

“No way,” Ben replied definitively. “I think you’re mistaken. That’s not a dog. Are you sure it’s not a toy?”

“Oh, you’re one of those people,” Rey replied, rolling her eyes. 

“One of what people?” Ben asked, smiling.

“One of those supposed dog people who hate small dogs, who call chihuahuas rats and use words like ‘yippy’ to describe anything smaller than medium. I’ll have you know Beebee VIII is quite large for her breed,” Rey told him proudly.

Ben laughed. “Well, if she’s large for her breed!” Ben pretended to be impressed. “Why ‘the eighth’?” he asked.

“Because she’s the eighth Pomeranian owned by Poe and his family.”

Ben felt a deep scowl settle into his features suddenly. Poe? Who the hell was this Poe that Rey apparently shared a dog with? And why hadn't she mentioned him before? “And Poe is… your boyfriend?” he asked, making a very inadequate attempt at nonchalance.

This time, Rey laughed. “He’s my… employer, I guess? Kind of my friend? Basically, he pays me to walk his dog. I met him through a dog walker app, but he happens to work with my best friend Finn, and sometimes we all get drinks together.”

“A dog walker app?” Ben probed. “Exactly how many jobs do you have, Rey?”

“As many gigs as I can hustle,” Rey replied vaguely. “Back to that guy that you almost choked. What stopped you?” she asked. 

Ben suddenly felt self-conscious about admitting to Rey that he used her crystal. What if she thought it was creepy that he was still carrying it? “Don’t those dog walker apps track your route?” he tried to change the subject. “I have some time. I could walk with you.”

“Oh! Yeah, they do. And sure, walk with us.” She pulled on Beebee’s leash lightly and started walking along the path in front of the future botanical gardens. 

Ben followed, and, after a moment of uncomfortable silence where it seemed like Rey was trying to smoke out his answer, he said, “I… uh… actually used the crystal you gave me. You know, to stop myself from murdering that guy back there.” He pulled the crystal out. 

Ben looked over at Rey as she walked beside him and was relieved to see that she didn’t look completely disturbed. In fact, she looked pleased. She was looking over at him and smiling broadly.

“Really?” she asked excitedly. “Did you program it and everything?”

“Of course not!” he blanched. “I held it in my hand for _maybe_ a minute and I _might have_ thought about not losing my temper so quickly.” 

“You did! That counts! You did program it,” she burst out happily.

“There was absolutely no sage or moonlight involved,” he defended. 

“It doesn’t matter. You imbued it with intention. And it’s working,” she pronounced reverently. 

“It's working because it’s reminding me to control my temper. Any other reminder would work just as well. I might as well tie a string around my finger.”

“Whatever you need to tell yourself…” she trailed off teasingly. 

Ben sighed dramatically, trying to convey to Rey that he had not changed his mind, he was just tired of arguing. “So how did you get interested in all this anyway?” he asked her. “The horoscopes and astrology and everything?”

Ben watched as Rey fiddled with the same yellow pendant he had seen her wearing while she tended bar. Ben couldn’t remember if she had been wearing it the first time they had met. It was entirely possible. 

She wasn’t looking at him, but it was clear she was mulling over his question. When she finally did turn toward him, she seemed to search his face for a moment before making the decision to share. 

“I was foster kid,” she began. “My parents lost custody of me when I was pretty young, like five years old, and I don’t really remember that much about them. But I remember little things, like windchimes and the smell of incense and weed. Some zodiac stuff. I guess they were kind of hippies,” Rey shrugged. “Anyway, one of the only clear memories I have is right before CPS took me away, I was crying and yelling and reaching out. My mom took this pendant off her neck and put it around mine. I remember someone telling me they’d come back for me.”

“Rey, I’m so sorry—” Ben began before Rey cut him off.

“It’s okay… now,” she told him with a wry smile. “But I wore the pendant everyday for years as a reminder that they were coming back. One day, I wandered into a New Age shop. I just… felt like I should. The woman there, Maz, she asked me what I knew about the crystal, and, when I told her nothing, she told me it was lemon chrysoprase and what it could be used for. She kind of emphasized the whole letting go of the past and seeking a new beginning thing. She also gave me a bright blue stone, lapis lazuli. She told me the crystal was calling to me and that it would help guide me to knowledge, truth, and understanding. I didn’t want to take it at first, but she eventually convinced me. After that, I was just kind of hooked.”

Ben was quiet for a minute, processing everything she had told him. Finally, he said, devoid of any tact, “Your parents sound really shitty.”

Rey looked briefly offended. “Obviously,” she acknowledged. 

“So… what about physics?”

“I think we lived in an RV? Or we just went camping a lot? Anyway, I remember spending a lot of time staring at the stars when I was a little kid. I’ve just known all the zodiac constellations for as long as I can remember. So after CPS took me and finally put me in school, I would get really excited learning about the stars. And my fascination just kind of continued until… well, physics seemed more practical than straight up astronomy. What about you? What did you study to wind up serving our illustrious city?”

“Political science and economics,” he replied. “My mom’s a politician. Public service runs in the family, although—”

“Beebee! No!” Rey cried out, watching the ball of fluff very nearly take down some poor, unsuspecting bird. 

Beebee looked over at Rey with a guilty look before wandering leisurely over to a patch of grass on the side of the park path. She sniffed a bit before settling down to-

“Just a minute,” Rey told him, pulling a plastic bag out of her pocket and following the _decidedly yippy_ Pomeranian.

As Rey went to tend to her charge, Ben glanced at his watch and noticed how much time had passed since he’d wrapped up his meeting with DJ. He pulled out his phone to look at his schedule for the rest of the day. Maybe he could take the afternoon off and offer to buy Rey a late lunch. She didn’t seem the type to say no to free food… 

_Damn it_ , he thought as he was reminded of the senior leadership meeting scheduled in an hour. He really had to head back soon. 

Ben watched Rey clean up after Beebee, an adorable look of disgust on her face, and tried to talk himself into asking for her number. His attempt at self-affirmation wasn’t particularly convincing _or_ motivating, so Ben tried remembering his disappointment when she had disappeared the last time. All he had to do was think about the small fortune he’d wasted on Lyft cancellation fees over the last few weeks and he was marching over to her, determination on his face. 

“Rey,” he began. She looked up at him, the arm holding the soiled baggy fully extended in front of her. _Maybe while she’s cleaning up shit is the wrong time to proposition her,_ he thought critically. 

“What’s up?” she queried, clearly preoccupied with finding a trash can.

“Did you know there are nearly four million people in this city?”

Rey’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. “No, I can’t say I keep up on the latest population statistics.”

 _Smooth, Solo,_ he chastised himself. He tried again. “I just mean, there are four million other people around. We don’t have any mutual friends, our jobs are totally unrelated, and yet our paths have crossed three times. Doesn’t it feel like… um… uh…”

Rey smiled cheekily. “Like the universe is purposely bringing us together?” she asked.

“No, nothing like that! No magical force or anything. Well, maybe. Yes?”

“Ben, do you have a point?”

“I… uh… was just wondering… if you might like to…” He could feel himself losing his nerve, and Rey was looking at him expectantly. “Might like to… teach me more about astrology?” he finished lamely. 

Rey clearly hadn’t been expecting that because she let out a surprised laugh. “Teach you more about astrology?” she repeated back to him.

“Yes, you said I was a Scorpio, right? I’d like to know what that means.”

Rey gave him a long, scrutinizing look before finally saying, “Sure, Ben. I’ll ‘teach you more about astrology.’ How about we meet at the observatory,” she gestured to another corner of the large park. “Say, Friday at 9:00 p.m.?”

“But the observatory closes at 10:00, and telescope viewing ends at 9:45,” he replied. 

“You’re an important member of the city government,” she teased. “You’re telling me you can’t swing an after-hours visit at a city-owned and operated observatory?”

“Actually, I can,” Ben replied confidently. “Friday at 9:00. You should probably give me your number so we can coordinate. Maybe we should get dinner before. You know? For convenience,” he hedged. 

“Oh, no need,” she told him, eyes twinkling with a humor Ben did not totally understand. “I’ll just meet you on the front steps at 9:00 p.m. It’s not like you asked me on a date or anything.” _Was that a wink or was she just blinking?_ “You probably need to get back to work if you’re going to pull off our private viewing. And I need to get Beebee back to Poe…”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I should. But, Friday?”

“Friday,” Rey affirmed, pulling Beebee in the direction opposite of the parking lot. “Bye, Ben,” she tossed over her shoulder when she was a few yards away. 

“Bye, Rey,” Ben would have squeaked out, if a man with such a deep voice was ever capable of squeaking.

As he walked to his car, Ben couldn’t even be angry at himself for failing to ask Rey out on a date. He was too busy looking forward to their “astrology lesson” come Friday.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is Rey thinking? Well:
> 
> -While she hasn’t been doing anything on the level of cancelling a million Lyft rides, she has been surprised to think of Ben several times since her bartending gig. 
> 
> -She waited for him to finish speaking to DJ for fully 15 minutes and felt a bit like a creep the whole time. 
> 
> -She was really surprised by how easy it was to tell Ben her deep, dark secrets about the past. It took _months_ of friendship with Finn before she confided in him.
> 
> -If Ben had managed to ask her out this time around, she would have enthusiastically accepted, but she _doesn’t hate_ that this “lesson” provides her with the opportunity to torture him just a little bit longer.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! Now that I’ve plotted the ending, I’ve updated the tags a bit and changed the chapter count. I’m not sure if it will be five chapters or six, but it definitely won’t exceed six.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Can we talk about something else?” she asked, cutting him off. “What else do you want to know about astrology?”_
> 
> _“Of course,” he assured her. “I _was_ wondering…” Ben began. He could feel his flush returning, “How, uh, compatible are Scorpios and Cancers?”_
> 
>   _“Oh. Um, very,” Rey blushed too. “Like, maybe the most compatible? Like I mentioned before, Scorpios and Cancers are both water signs. They value privacy and can be pretty intense. Maybe too intense for the other signs? Maybe a little possessive? Both our signs are really intuitive, to the point that Scorpio/Cancer matches can almost communicate without words,” at some point Rey had began idling stroking Ben’s wrist, their hands still entwined._
> 
> _“Can you tell what I’m thinking, Rey?” he asked, gazing at her intently._
> 
> _“I, uh, think you want to kiss me,” she replied, voice quiet. “And I think I—”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I got, um, distracted by a crack fic plot bunny. You can read it [HERE](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16237568/chapters/37958990) if you're in the mood for a funny, smutty reverse-age romp. (But, please, mind the tags. I don't think it's *really* underage, but I support overtagging.)
> 
> This chapter is unbeta'd due to Hurricane Michael, but please send my usual beta, [reyofdarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitslits/pseuds/reyofdarkness) positive thoughts (and maybe some kudos on any of her excellent works)! All mistakes are my own.

“Sir? Mayor Snoke says he’s sorry for the delay, but he needs you to wait a bit longer. He’s just finishing up with Mr. Hask,” Snoke’s executive assistant told Ben. 

Ben smiled at her tightly. “Yes, Ms. Stynnix. I know. I actually facilitated the meeting between Snoke and Mr. Hask. And then I personally directed you to block out Snoke’s entire morning. That’s why I was so surprised when I was summoned,” Ben looked down at his expensive Breitling watch (a “token of appreciation” from the mayor), “nearly thirty minutes ago.”

Lusica Synnix just nodded sympathetically and returned to her typing, the picture of disingenuous professionalism. 

Ben sighed. He knew what was happening. Ben had worked for Snoke long enough to know that this was one of the tactics he used to unbalance his opponents. He was trying to punish Ben by making him wait. What Ben didn’t know was _why_ Snoke was trying to punish him.

Several minutes later, Snoke’s office door opened and two men emerged. Mayor Snoke shook the other man’s hand and told him, “It’s always a pleasure doing business with you, Gideon. We’ll speak again soon. Solo,” he motioned for Ben to come inside. 

Ben followed Snoke obediently and took a seat across from his employer/mentor. 

“Ben,” Snoke began, fury permeating his warped features. “Have you seen this?” He threw a paper angrily in the direction of Ben.

Ben warily picked up the print-out and glanced over its contents. I was a summary of all the most recent polls conducted for the upcoming mayoral election. And the news wasn’t good. Each one showed Amilyn Holdo with a healthy lead.

Snoke was already livid that he hadn’t pulled off another decisive victory in the June primary. But, at that time, Amilyn Holdo had been trailing him. Having to go forward with the general election was an annoyance, but there was never any real threat he would lose. 

Unfortunately for Snoke (and, by extension, Ben), in the last few months, support for Amilyn Holdo had surged. And now, apparently, she was _leading_. Ben swallowed nervously.

“How could this happen!?” Snoke raged. “I’ll tell you how! Senator Organa, champion of the working class and _your mother_ , has been campaigning non-stop for the woman!”

“Well, Holdo and my mother have been friends for a long time…” Ben attempted. 

“And that’s not all! Have you seen these!?” This time Snoke tossed a few newspaper articles in Ben’s direction. Some of the headlines read “Fight against poverty becomes cornerstone of Holdo campaign,” “Economic insecurity leads to Holdo surge,” and, most upsettingly for Ben, “Holdo unveils plan for universal basic income.”

 _Oh, god_ , Ben thought. 

“And where, Ben, do you think Holdo got this wildly popular universal basic income plan?” Snoke demanded. 

“Skywalk—“

“That’s right! Your _uncle_ , Luke Skywalker!”

For probably the ten-thousandth time in his life, Ben cursed the man who was his mother’s twin. Luke Skywalker was a well-respected academic in the field of economic policy research, but he had been on sabbatical in Europe for the past few years. Ben had no idea Luke was back stateside. And he certainly hadn’t known that Luke had resumed his work on his lifetime research passion: universal basic income.

“Sir, I’m not sure what this has to do with me? I don’t speak to my family. I’m not even formally part of your campaign—”

“I saw so much potential in you,” Snoke told Ben, now deadly calm. “When you came to me, you were passionate. Angry. Disillusioned with the fiscal irresponsibility and political chaos that your mother and uncle preached.”

Ben shrank under the older man’s increasingly withering gaze.

“You were so desperate to restore order. And, I won’t lie, I thought swaying you might break them. If I could lure you over to the ‘dark side’ maybe I could finally expose Senator Organa and Professor Skywalker for the impotent hypocrites they’d always been. Feigning care for the tired and hungry masses, while ignoring their own flesh and blood.”

“Sir?”

“Make no mistake, young Solo: I don’t care that you aren’t close to your family. I don’t care that you aren’t formally a part of my campaign. If I lose this election, I will hold you personally responsible. And you will _never_ find work in politics again.”

—

Ben spent the rest of the work day angrily brooding at his desk. He could feel how precarious his control over his temper was, so he avoided all human interaction for the duration of the afternoon. The black tourmaline rested on his desk as a reminder to not make anyone cry.

But when he finally left work sometime after 7:00 p.m., Ben’s foul mood quickly dissipated and was immediately replaced with nervous anticipation. Tonight was the night of his “lesson” with Rey. He had called Dopheld Mitaka in Parks and Recreation just this afternoon to confirm their after-hours access to the city’s observatory.

After his last meeting with Rey, Ben had immediately marched to Mitaka’s department to beg, borrow, or bribe his way into delivering on the promised non-date. In the end, it had only required Ben to loom over Mitaka intimidatingly, promise him first dibs on any event tickets that crossed the mayor’s desk, and be seven minutes late for his senior leadership meeting to get Mitaka to agree.

By 8:50 p.m., Ben Solo stood on the front steps of the observatory; showered, fed, and wearing a carefully-curated-to-look-casual outfit of a black pullover sweater and dark wash jeans. 

By 9:11 p.m., Ben was positive that Rey was standing him up and that the whole thing had been some elaborate prank, probably masterminded by Hux. _Fucking Hux,_ Ben cursed to himself. He didn’t feel angry or offended, but only because he was too busy feeling bone-deep disappointment at the prospect of never seeing Rey.

By 9:17 p.m., Ben was trudging miserably toward the parking lot, resigned to an evening alone, drinking whiskey and watching a Ken Burns documentary. 

Just as he reached the edge of the lawn, however, a human whirlwind rushed past him and up the observatory steps. Ben turned, recognizing the whirlwind’s tan complexion and chestnut waves.

It was Rey.

Ben’s heart leapt into his throat. In Rey’s apparent rush to meet him, she had failed to notice that she had very nearly knocked him down. It gave Ben an opportunity to take her in without her knowing she was being observed. She was looking around almost frantically, an attractive flush across her cheeks, highlighting the freckles that Ben hoped to one day memorize. _Slow down,_ he chastised himself. _This isn’t even a date._

She was wearing a cardigan over a dress, the neckline of the dress drawing Ben’s attention to her collarbone. The skirt hit above the knee and exposed Ben to the long line of her legs for the first time. Ben had never seen Rey in a dress before and, if he didn’t know any better, he would think that she was dressed for a date. 

In addition to her date-like attire, the stricken look on Rey’s face when she failed to find Ben also indicated to him that she might consider this meeting something more than casual. Ben gleefully decided to soothe Rey’s distress, briskly walking up the steps and calling out, “Rey! Over here.”

The relief on her face when their eyes met made Ben’s heart lurch again.

“Ben, I’m so sorry!” she cried. “I hope you didn’t think I was standing you up or anything.”

“Of course not,” he lied.

“I was changing this guy’s oil and it just took so much longer than I had planned,” explained Rey.

“You were changing this guy’s oil?” he repeated, confused. “Rey, are you a mechanic, in addition to all the other jobs you have?” _Please no,_ Ben prayed, thinking of his father. Not that her being an auto mechanic could possibly stop his rapidly developing feelings for her. It was just preferable if he didn’t have to think thoughts like, _My father would love you. The two of you would have so much to talk about,_ when they were together. 

“Of course not!” Rey laughed. Ben breathed a sigh of relief. She continued, “I’m a TaskRabbit.”

“A TaskRabbit?”

“You know, people post odd jobs on the TaskRabbit app and the Taskers,” she pointed to herself, “pick up the ones they want to do. A lot of the jobs I do are auto repair. One of my old foster dads used to own a scrapyard,” she offered in explanation. “But I also put together IKEA furniture or pick up dry cleaning or whatever,” she shrugged.

“Oh, okay,” he said, truly confounded by the vastness of the gig economy. _My father would still love you,_ he reluctantly reflected.

“So, should we go inside?” she asked, shivering a little. The weather was still mostly mild, but there was the slightest hint of chill in the early fall air.

“Oh, of course,” he replied, chivalrously holding the door open for her. 

They wandered into a large rotunda and Rey directed his attention to the round mural on the ceiling. “Do you see what Atlas is holding up?” she asked, pointing at the largest figure in the design. He was mostly naked, arms up in the air and shoulders straining under the weight of the world. All around him were depicted other mythological figures and scenes. Within the globe that Atlas was supporting, were even more figures and animals that Ben couldn’t quite puzzle out.

“They’re the zodiac signs,” she continued. “There you are. Scorpio. The scorpion. And there I am. Cancer. The crab. Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Mercury. They’ll all depicted around Atlas,” she smiled up at him. “I just like the idea that they’re co-existing here, alongside Foucault pendulums and Tesla coils.”

Ben grinned back at her. “You said you were a Cancer? What does that mean? And what about Scorpio?”

“It’s a complicated question, Ben. I can only give you the barest highlights tonight. But, maybe, if you prove yourself to be an attentive and dedicated student, we can meet again. I might even do your star chart.”

 _Meet again? She wanted to meet him again?_ Ben had to physically restrain a “Whoop!” 

Just then, they heard an announcement stating the museum was closing. He wandered over to the information desk and spoke to the older gentleman manning it. He explained that he worked for the mayor’s office and had received special permission to stay after close. The man nodded knowingly.

Rey sidled up beside him and leaned over the counter toward the other man. She motioned for the guide to come closer and whispered to him conspiratorially. The older man continued to nod, eventually coming around from behind the desk. 

Ben raised an eyebrow at Rey, in question. She just smiled back innocently.

“Follow me, please, and we’ll get you settled,” the guide said, ushering them into the planetarium. 

Ben took a seat while he watched Rey and the man fiddle with some kind of a projector. After a few minutes, Rey wandered over and settled into the seat right next to his. The lights went out, and the last thing Ben saw before the night sky exploded all around him was the guide’s retreating back.

Ben inhaled sharply as his attention was diverted to the millions of projected planets and stars.

“So,” Rey began. She reached out for Ben’s hand and his heart started beating faster and louder in his chest. She was touching him, on purpose. She lifted their hands and pointed to the cluster of stars she wanted Ben to focus on. “See that bright reddish star right there?” 

Ben nodded before he remembered Rey couldn’t see him. “Yes,” he whispered quietly, not wanting to break the spell.

“That’s Antares, the heart of Scorpius,” she moved his hand to trace the rest of the Scorpius constellation. “Scorpio is a water sign and water signs are ruled by their emotions. But, at the same time, Scorpio’s ruling planet is Mars; so all those feelings are often expressed through emotions like passion and anger. Sound familiar, yet?” Ben could hear the smirk in her voice. “Basically, your worst trait is that you’re power hungry. Your best trait is that you’re sexy as hell.” Ben turned to Rey in surprise. 

“I mean, not you, specifically. Not that you’re _not_ sexy! I mean, um, I just mean… well Scorpio’s in general are kind of the brooding bad boys of the zodiac. And you definitely, uh, fit that bill.” 

Ben’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough that he could see the embarrassment on Rey’s face. He smiled warmly and squeezed her hand reassuringly. “What about you? What’s your best trait?” He didn’t let go. Neither did she.

“Cancer is a water sign, too,” Rey sighed. “So, again, ruled by emotions. My best trait is probably my loyalty. Cancers are all about home and family and roots. And my worst trait is probably... also my loyalty,” she gave Ben a sardonic look. “My strength became my weakness pretty quickly in foster care. Loyalty twisted into a pathological inability to let go. Imagine constantly craving love and security and instead getting Unkar Plutt?” she said bitterly.

Before Ben could ask, Rey explained, “A particularly unpleasant foster dad.” 

“Rey--”

“Can we talk about something else?” she asked, cutting him off. “What else do you want to know about astrology?”

“Of course,” he assured her. “I _was_ wondering…” Ben began. He could feel his flush returning, “How, uh, compatible are Scorpios and Cancers?”

“Oh. Um, very,” Rey blushed too. “Like, maybe the most compatible? Like I mentioned before, Scorpios and Cancers are both water signs. They both value privacy and can be pretty intense. Maybe too intense for the other signs? Maybe even a little possessive? Both our signs are also really intuitive, to the point that Scorpio/Cancer matches can almost communicate without words.” At some point while she answered Ben’s question, Rey had began idling stroking Ben’s wrist, their hands still entwined. 

“Can you tell what I’m thinking, Rey?” he asked, gazing at her intently.

“I, uh, think you want to kiss me,” she replied, voice quiet. “And I think I—”

Ben felt his resolve building with each word of her reply. He hadn’t been this nervous around a woman since he was a teenager, but he was determined to ignore the voice telling him that he wasn’t good enough for her, that she couldn’t possibly want him back. Uncharacteristically, Ben felt _sure_ that Rey wanted to kiss him, even without her finishing her thought. _Maybe we really_ can _communicate with one another non-verbally,_ he thought as he leaned into her. 

When their lips met and Ben felt Rey reciprocate, his body flooded with relief. He was kissing her. She was letting him. In fact, she was actively returning his kiss.

Just as Ben was considering deepening the kiss, the planetarium door opened and the guide from earlier reappeared. Rey and Ben broke swiftly broke apart. 

The guide cleared his throat uncomfortably and told the pair, “Sorry folks, I can only keep it open for an extra hour. The cleaning crew needs to get in here and head out.”

Ben nodded in understanding and stood up from his seat. Rey followed. He gestured for her to lead the way. She made her was over to the door, bouncing with excess energy, and Ben followed behind.

Once back on the observatory’s front steps, Ben shuffled awkwardly. All his resolve from earlier had apparently been broken up with the kiss. “This was… um… really nice,” he finished lamely.

“It was,” she said smiling. 

In the little more than an hour that they had been inside, the temperature had dropped a few degrees and a cool breeze had picked up. Rey shivered. Ben wished he had brought a jacket to offer her, but all he had was the pullover on his back.

“You’re cold,” he said, “let me walk you to your car.”

“Oh, I, uh, didn’t bring my car,” she told him. 

“I’ll drive you home, then” he quickly offered, walking toward the lot.

“Or,” she said, falling in step beside, “we could go back to your place and continue what we were doing in the planetarium…” Her tone was almost teasing, but not quite. Ben suspected that with her tone, Rey was trying to hedge her bet in case he declined. But there was no chance that Ben would ever decline an offer like that from Rey. He told her as much, and saw her happily smile to herself in return.

When they finally reached his car, Ben opened her door and ran around to the driver’s side to start the engine and get the heater going. “Roomy,” Rey told him, this time pulling off her teasing tone. “But you’re so far away…” she lamented, leaning across the dash and toward Ben.

Ben mirrored her movement, and suddenly they were kissing again. This time, neither of them hesitated to deepen the kiss.

After making out in Ben’s car for what felt like ages— _How did Rey end up in his lap?_ —Rey broke the kiss to say, “My horoscope mentioned something about a wildly erotic adventure starting on the 15th of the month. Something about Venus moving out of retrograde…”

“It’s the 14th,” Ben said without thinking. _What is wrong with you?_ he immediately berated himself, _She said ‘wildly erotic adventure’ and you’re going to get hung up on the date??_

“Check again, Ben. It’s after midnight.”

He looked over her shoulder, to the time displayed on his dash. Sure enough, it was 12:07 a.m on Saturday, October 15th. Rey leaned in to kiss his temple and whispered in his ear: “Take me home, Ben. Your home.” 

He did.

 

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot to say about Rey's thoughts in this chapter. I think she makes herself pretty clear. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ben stumbled to his apartment door, unwilling to stop kissing Rey long enough to look where he was going. He had already spent the entirety of the twenty minute car ride back to his place _not kissing her._ He didn’t need to prolong that. _
> 
>  
> 
> _With his lips still attached to Rey’s, Ben fumbled with his keys, trying to blindly force them into the lock. Rey finally broke the kiss, laughing. “Ben, just open the door. We can’t do everything I want to do in the hallway and I can’t keep watching you fumbling around and missing the hole. It’s killing my mood.”_
> 
>  
> 
> _Ben nodded, blushing, and ably maneuvered the key into the lock. He was determined now to show Rey that he was anything but fumbling. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her inside, pushing her up against the door as soon as he shut it. Rey responded with enthusiasm, throwing her arms around his neck and leaning into him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to [Alsterwasser](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alsterwasser) for looking this over and critiquing my smut!

Ben stumbled to his apartment door, unwilling to stop kissing Rey long enough to look where he was going. He had already spent the entirety of the twenty minute car ride back to his place _not kissing her._ He didn’t need to prolong that. 

With his lips still attached to Rey’s, Ben fumbled with his keys, trying to blindly force them into the lock. Rey finally broke the kiss, laughing. “Ben, just open the door. We can’t do everything I want to do in the hallway and I can’t keep watching you fumbling around and missing the hole. It’s killing my mood.”

Ben nodded, blushing, and ably maneuvered the key into the lock. He was determined now to show Rey that he was anything but fumbling. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her inside, pushing her up against the door as soon as he shut it. Rey responded with enthusiasm, throwing her arms around his neck and leaning into him. 

As their lips met again, Ben reflected on how comfortable and familiar it felt to kiss Rey. They had only been at it for an hour, but Ben already felt like an expert in coaxing contented hums and lusty moans from her. 

His lips moved to her jaw, her neck, a quick nip at her ear. At the same time, Ben reached down to hook her leg around his thigh. He heard her shoe fall to the floor. When she didn’t resist or move her leg, Ben reached down again to hoist her up completely. Rey wrapped her legs around his waist. Their bodies were flush against each other. 

They continued like that for a few minutes, Ben alternating between kissing Rey’s neck and kissing her lips. He could feel himself getting hard. He’d been half hard for the last hour, especially when Rey had been squirming in his lap while they made out in his car, but now it felt more urgent. 

Rey clearly noticed it as she rocked herself against him gently, her back still pressed against Ben’s front door. Ben moaned softly, playfully squeezing her ass.

“Bed,” he breathed into her ear, and Rey nodded drunkenly. She had her head tilted and her eyes closed and Ben focused on the spot where her jaw met her neck, just below her ear. 

After giving that spot proper attention, Ben pulled her against him more securely and moved toward his room. When he reached his bed, he dropped Rey onto the black sheets of his California king and loomed above her. 

Her cardigan was pushed halfway off her arms already. Ben touched the thin strap of her sundress lightly and asked, “Can I… ?”

“Anything,” Rey replied. “Do whatever you want to me. If I don’t like it, I’ll tell you.” 

Ben smirked. He had no doubt that she would. 

He pushed her dress strap down. And then the other strap. He kissed along the line of her shoulder. Rey sat up impatiently, throwing off her sweater and reaching behind her to claw at the zipper on the back of her dress. Ben reached around to help her and they both worked to maneuver her out of it. 

Once the dress was crumpled in a pile on the floor, Rey sprawled beneath him, bare except for a nude strapless bra and pair of panties. Ben reached down to rub her over the fabric. She squirmed against his hand. 

“Can you, uh, take off your clothes?” she asked, her tone breathless. “I just… feel weird lying here in my underwear while you’re… still fully dressed.”

“Of course,” Ben told her, getting up from the bed and efficiently dispensing with his shoes, sweater, and jeans. When he was down to his boxer briefs he surged back over to Rey. She was sitting up, watching him disrobe. He pressed his lips forcefully against hers and reached up to undo the hooks of her strapless bra. 

Free of her bra, Ben could admire Rey’s perky tits for the first time. Eventually, the temptation was too much for him and he ducked down to take one of her rosy nipples into his mouth. Her gasps and moans as he swirled his tongue around it made him preen with pride. Her skin left a slightly salty taste on his tongue. Ben continued lavishing attention on her chest, using one hand to squeeze and knead the tit not being serviced by his tongue, and the other to rub her through her underwear. 

Ben worked his way down her body, paying particular attention to the area just above above her waistband, kissing softly. He moved her panties to the side and touched her to test how ready she was. Judging by the wetness that met his fingers: very.

“I’m going to put my mouth on you, Rey,” Ben told her confidently as he moved his face over her sex. “I’m going to make you come.” Rey whimpered. He hooked his pinkies through her panties and slowly pulled them down. Rey was panting with anticipation and he returned to hovered over her bare sex. As he lowered his head down and touched her with his tongue, her whimpers turned to deep, deep moans. “Keep… doing… that,” she said, voice choked with arousal and appreciation.

Ben wasn’t entirely sure how he had managed to get Rey into his bed. He wasn’t entirely sure how he had convinced her to let him lap and suck and nip at her. But he was damn thankful for the opportunity. She tasted like musky honey. Out of context, it wasn’t the most pleasant taste but, right then, Ben couldn’t get enough.

If this was all she ever let him do, it would probably still be the most erotic experience of his life. He rubbed himself against the mattress lightly. Not to get himself off, but just to relieve some of the aching tension that had built up.

When Rey finally came, squeezing Ben’s head between her thighs, Ben didn’t let up right away. At some point he had added a couple of fingers, so he kept pumping them and sucking her clit until she had to push him away. “Too much,” she told him and he murmured his apology.

He pushed off his boxer briefs and leaned back to put a condom on. When he was done, he returned to loom over Rey, smiling wolfishly down at her. He watched her swallow dramatically as she took in his rather large erection and what must have been a fairly predatory expression. He paused momentarily, looking for permission to continue, before he remembered her words about doing whatever he wanted. 

Ben grabbed Rey’s legs behind the knee roughly and pushed them up so that she was practically folded in half, her thighs very nearly touching her stomach. She’s so flexible, he thought. “Yoga?” he asked conversationally, as if he wasn’t about to impale her with his massive, throbbing cock.

“Mmm-hmm,” she barely got out as he hooked her knees over his shoulders and rubbed his erection along her slit. “Oh!” she exclaimed.

Despite his own all-consuming need, and how good her wet pussy felt on his cock, Ben continued to tease Rey. He just couldn’t get enough of her adorable, indignant huffs and whines. “Ben! Just do it already or, so help me, I will leave your balls SO BLUE,” she finally told him through gritted teeth.

Ben laughed, but pushed slowly into Rey. His eyes rolled back as he felt how warm and tight she was. “Fuck, Rey,” he huffed out.

“Please do,” she quipped back at him. 

Ben smiled down at her, but privately thought, _I’m going to fuck her so well that she won’t be able to think of any other clever retorts. She’ll only be able to think about how good I feel inside her, filling her up._

“Okay, _Professor_ ,” Rey replied, with a mocking tone. “No more ‘clever retorts.’ Get on with it, then.” Ben was confused for a moment before realizing that he had said his private thought aloud. He flushed, but quickly recovered enough to start thrusting in and out of Rey. Her mouth fell open in a quiet moan, and her eyes fell shut.

“Rey. Rey, look at me. I want to see what I’m doing to you. I want to see how much you like it when I make you come, again.” Rey complied, opening her hazel eyes. 

Ben started down at her, going at it hard, trying to coax more sexy sounds from her. “I fucking love the sounds you make when I’m kissing you, Rey. When I’m touching you. Now, when I’m inside of you,” he told her. Rey moaned loudly in response.

“Ben. Fuck,” she cried out. 

They continued, Ben varying the speed and depth of his thrusts, trying to find the pattern that got the best reaction out of Rey. His own preferences didn’t matter. It all felt better than anything (or _anyone_ ) else.

He was pretty sure he’d found the right combination when Rey started babbling incoherently. “There, yes, yes, ah, deep, so good, ah, ah, fuck, yes!”

Ben was holding himself back now, but he was pretty sure Rey was close to coming, so it wouldn’t be long before he could let himself go. “Come on, Rey. Come for me. Keep your eyes on me. I want to see it. I want to hear what filthy sound you make when you come. I want to feel your pussy squeeze around my cock.” 

If Ben had been any less caught up in the moment, he probably would have been embarrassed by his attempt at dirty talk. But Ben was caught up. And, more importantly, his words seemed to be working for Rey. He felt her body arch up as her snatch clenched around him. 

She shouted out his name as she climaxed, and Ben was positive it was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. Once she finished, he continued thrusting, losing all pretense of rhythm as he barreled over the edge and into his own orgasm. 

As soon as he was done, he lost the ability to hold himself up, and flopped down on his back next to Rey. Once he had caught his breath he leaned over to kiss her fiercely. Ben didn’t need to ask her to spend the night. Maybe it was more of that non-verbal Scorpio/Cancer communication bond, but they both just knew she would stay.

Eventually, they forced themselves to get up and clean up. Ben fished an extra toothbrush out for Rey, and they stood at the sink, brushing their teeth side-by-side. Ben’s heart squeezed at the comfortable domesticity of the scene. 

A few minutes later, when they finally fell asleep, Rey was wrapped in Ben’s arms.

— 

When Ben finally woke the next morning, Rey still bundled up against him, the sun was high in the sky. Rey was still asleep and Ben didn’t want to disturb her, so he reached blindly for his cell to check the time. It was 9:30 a.m., fully three hours later than Ben’s usual weekend wakeup time. 

He glanced down to make sure his subtle reaching hadn’t disturbed Rey. It hadn’t. She was still fast asleep. Ben meant to check his email, but he was momentarily distracted by the relaxed softness permeating Rey’s features as she slept. She was mesmerizing and Ben couldn’t look away.

After several minutes of intense staring, memorizing the pattern of the freckles on her face, Ben realized how creepy he was being and shook himself out of his trance. He picked his phone back up and opened his email.

There were a handful of emails from Hux, an escalating number of exclamation points in the subject line, which Ben deleted without opening. An email from Mitaka’s assistant, checking that everything had gone smoothly at the observatory yesterday. Ben shot him back a line. There were several emails related to upcoming meetings. A few meeting requests. There was one email from Snoke, with the subject line “Recap from Friday’s Sit-Down,” that sent an uncomfortable creeping feeling up Ben’s spine. An email from him mother, that he also deleted without opening, and…

Ben jerked up in alarm, accidentally jostling Rey awake. “Ben, what’s going on?” she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. 

Ben looked down at her, and saw her eyes widen in concern. “Seriously, Ben, what’s wrong? You look… like you’ve seen some shit.”

Ben smiled at her hesitantly and held out his phone to show her what he was looking at. “It’s just… Rey… I really hate my job. Snoke, he’s kind of a… well, an abusive, authoritarian, classist asshole. You know, before I took the job with Snoke, I used to be a researcher? I have an MPA and a PhD in economics,” he explained.

“I used to work with my uncle, but we, uh, didn’t agree on the direction of the research. Snoke had sought me out when I published one of my early papers and had introduced me to theories and research that my uncle vehemently disagreed with. 

“When my uncle found out Snoke and I had been corresponding, and that I had been incorporating some of Snoke’s ideas into my own research, he basically threw me out of academia. I didn’t really have anywhere to go, so when Snoke offered me a job on his campaign, I accepted. And I’ve been working for him for five years, now. First as the economic policy advisor for his campaign, then as his Chief of Staff.”

“Ben, I’m really glad you obviously feel comfortable enough to open up to me, but I’m still not really sure what I’m looking at,” she said gesturing to his phone screen.

“It’s just… I’ve recently been thinking about what comes next. Not a lot of Chiefs of Staff stick around for two full terms; although, I know Snoke expects me to,” Ben said miserably. “I applied for this fellowship a few weeks ago, at a bipartisan think tank. It was right around the time we met, actually,” Ben told her, remembering nervously fiddling with Rey’s black stone as he submitted his application. “And, well…”

He held his phone out to her again and Rey read over the email that had caused Ben to react so strongly. “Oh,” she said. “OH! Oh my god, Ben! This is a job offer!” she said, grabbing his face and kissing him hard. 

He laughed and kissed her back. “It’s just a fellowship,” he explained, “so it’s just for a year or two. But, hopefully, I can turn it into something more. I just really need to get out from under Snoke,” he pulled back to look at Rey seriously. “I have a lot to atone for, Rey. The Snoke administration hasn’t exactly done a lot of good for this city, or the world.”

“You’ll do it,” she told him firmly. “You’ll help fix it. You can still make the world a better place.” She said it so earnestly that Ben couldn’t help but believe her.

“I just have to get through December,” he said.

“What are you talking about? December?” she asked.

“That’s when Snoke’s first term ends,” he replied, pulling her into his lap and reaching down to kiss her again. 

“Ben!” she cried, pushing his face away. “You can’t stay on for two and a half more months and work for that monster. He’s awful!”

“I can’t just quit, Rey!”

“Yes you can. People resign all the time. It’s in the news.”

“Not this close to an election,” he countered. “It makes the incumbent’s administration look weak and disorganized to voters.”

“So?”

“So? It’s just not how it’s done!”

“Will the think tank rescind their job offer, do you think?”

“I don’t think so, no.”

“Then you should resign on Monday. If Snoke is really as awful as you say and everyone else I know seems to believe, you’ll be doing your civic duty by resigning and helping him lose the election.”

Ben reflected on what Rey was saying. It made sense… Amilyn Holdo was practically a communist, but she’d be a much better executive than Snoke ever was. Ben might not consider her policies fiscally responsible, but at least she wasn’t corrupt. “Okay,” he said kissing Rey.

“Okay? Just like that?” she asked suspiciously. 

“I thought about it and you’re right,” he said. “I might even release a statement about my reasons for leaving. I’ll talk to my new employer about it.”

She smiled broadly at him. Clearly pleased. “I’m very clever,” she teased. “People always think of Cancers as just emotionally intelligent, but I’m the regular kind too.”

“You are,” he told her between kisses. “But I already knew that, Ms. Physicist.” 

She pressed herself flush against him. “How about we celebrate your new job?” she practically purred. 

Ben opened his mouth to enthusiastically consent, when Rey’s stomach rumbled loudly. He closed his mouth and gave her a chaste peck. “Breakfast first,” he said. 

Ben grabbed his phone from her and pulled up an app. “Should we Postmates?” he asked her, looking through the breakfast options. He was enjoying having Rey half-naked in his bed way to much to suggest they leave. Food delivery was the better option. 

Rey beamed at him, “You’ll never believe this, Ben, but I actually drive for them.”

“Rey,” Ben replied. “I’ve never in my life heard anything _less_ surprising.”

 

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is Rey thinking? Well,
> 
> -Ben has a very talented tongue.
> 
> -And other parts.
> 
> -What will Finn, Poe, and Rose say when I tell them I’m sleeping with someone who works for Snoke? Rose has a “Holdo for Mayor” sign in her apartment window!
> 
> -Re: Finn, Poe, and Rose? Nevermind! ;)
> 
> -Shit, am I falling for him?
> 
> Just one more chapter to wrap this story up!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Ben’s favorite change, however, wasn’t the crystals or the plants or even the furniture. It was the green toothbrush that now lived by his bathroom sink (near a blue calcite crystal). The same one from their first night together. Ben thought happily that he would need to replace it soon as he and Rey were approaching three months of sleepovers and dinners and Netflix and chill._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! [Reyofdarkness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitslits/pseuds/reyofdarkness) is back to beta’ing!! Have you read her “Ben Solo is a literal prince” AU, [A Royal Mistake](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315858/chapters/35534184), yet?

It was just before 6:00 p.m. when Ben stepped through his apartment door, shaking off the last dregs of tension from the workweek. He had been at his new job for a few weeks now, and, for the most part, it was going better than he’d hoped. 

After consulting with his new bosses and an incredibly overpriced PR/crisis management firm, Ben had ended up releasing a statement upon his exit from the Snoke administration. At Ben’s insistence, the statement had really been more of a public apology. But it had also outlined what he considered to be the detestable policies and practices that had made it impossible for his association with Snoke to continue. 

At first, the public had not been kind. Accusations like “complicit” and “opportunist” had been bandied about in the media. And, frankly, Ben agreed with them. He _had_ willingly participated in Snoke’s corrupt machine for the past five years. It was also true that Ben had been relatively young, vulnerable, and desperate at the time Snoke recruited him, but that hardly excused _five years_ of his support and participation.

Snoke’s absolutely vicious counter-attack was the only thing that had saved Ben from a drawn-out public reckoning. Snoke’s responses to Ben’s accusations had been so obviously untrue, his attacks on Ben had been so bitterly personal, that public opinion had shifted against the older man.

Ben had been surprised. He had never known Snoke to be anything but composed and articulate in public. Ben’s betrayal must have really shaken the man for him to be so publicly angry and agitated.

And the anti-Snoke wave had continued right until Election Day. Mayor-elect Amilyn Holdo’s victory speech line about “letting people learn and grow and change their minds,” had been an undeserved kindness toward Ben. So had the Edible Arrangement sent to him from his mother’s Senate office the day after the election, with a note simply reading, “Welcome back to the light side. Call me.”

Ben hadn’t called her just yet. Just because he wasn’t supporting the Snokes of the world anymore, didn’t mean he was ready to embrace his family’s radical politics. But he would call her… eventually.

Despite narrowly avoiding his reputational public execution, Ben still had a lot of atoning to do. The public might have lost interest in judging the authenticity of his change of heart, but Ben still needed to convince himself that he was worthy of all the good that had come into his life recently. Lying low in his new, modest private sector job wasn’t enough. Ben needed to find a way to correct the wrongs he had helped propagate.

He really needed to call his mother. She probably had an extensive list of all the ways he could make things up to her and to humanity.

Coming out of his reverie, Ben looked around his apartment and took in all the subtle changes that had been made recently. _Less tidy, more lived in_ , Ben thought happily.

Right beside the front door, next to the bowl meant for his unopened mail and discarded keys, sat his black tourmaline crystal. “To block negative energy from even entering,” Rey had told him confidently.

Ben would never admit it but, when Rey had first suggested relocating his black tourmaline to his front entrance, he had worried that by not carrying it around with him all the time, he would lose the tenuous grasp he had finally gotten on his rages and tantrums.

So he had surreptitiously purchased the obsidian stones in bulk and placed them strategically on his desk at work, in the center console of his car, in various pockets, and in his briefcase. He found himself constantly rubbing them, like worry stones. 

Of course, he insisted to Rey that their anti-negative energy powers were bunk. But her amused, knowing look gave him the uncomfortable feeling that she had discovered at least a portion of his stash.

Elsewhere in the room, Rey had put her TaskRabbit skills to good use and helped him hang a set of floating shelves and assemble a bookcase. On the bookcase, she had placed a few Astrology guides and crystal texts. They now sat side-by-side with Ben’s preferred political biographies and history books. It was amazing how much time he had to read, now that he was working a regular 9 to 5.

On one of his shelves, he had a Himalayan salt lamp and clear crystal quartz. Ben wasn’t exactly sure what they were meant to accomplish, but Rey had assured him they were a potent (and positive) combination.

Ben also had a small collection of recently acquired house plants. Philodendron, pathos, and rubber plant were all spread throughout the room. _And all still alive,_ he thought with a tinge of pride. Upon reflection, though, Ben had to acknowledge that his thriving greenery had more to do with Rey’s frequent visits than anything he had done for them. He honestly couldn’t remember if he had ever even watered one. 

“There have been studies,” Rey had told him one night as they’d lay together in his bed. She was nestled against his bare chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her tall but delicate frame. “Houseplants improve well-being, lower anxiety, and brighten up a space.”

“Hmm,” he’d hummed simply in response. 

“I’d probably come over more,” she told him, and that caught his attention. “Cancer signs have high naturalistic intelligence. It’s part of our nurturing natures. We love animals and plants, and have a real knack for caring for them. We like to be surrounded with the natural world.” 

Ben thought of Rey’s tiny shared apartment. Every available surface was covered in planters and pots. Rey even had random greenery growing out of chipped mugs and styrofoam cups. 

“I suppose you could get a cat or dog to keep me here.” Ben snorted and Rey continued, “-but plants seem easier.”

The next day, Ben had gone out and bought five “unkillable” houseplants, according to the man at the garden store. Rey’s smile when she had seen them had made Ben’s chest clench painfully. He loved the pain.

Ben’s favorite change, however, wasn’t the crystals or the plants or even the furniture. It was the green toothbrush that now lived by his bathroom sink (near a blue calcite crystal). The same one from their first night together. Ben thought happily that he would need to replace it soon as he and Rey were approaching three months of sleepovers and dinners and Netflix and chill. 

__

Later that same evening, as Ben put the final touches on a pineapple curry, he heard a quick knock and the sound of his front door opening. He looked up and, thanks to his apartment’s open floor plan, saw Rey entering. 

“Smells good,” she told him excitedly, her stomach growling loudly in agreement.

“Have you eaten anything today?” he asked accusingly.

“Of course. I went to the opening social for the slacklining club in the quad today. Snagged a slice of pepperoni.”

Ben raised his eyebrow at her. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a slackline enthusiast.”

“Are you suggesting that my interest in their club wasn’t genuine?” she asked with mock offense. “Okay, fine. You caught me. I used the Lunchbox app.” This time, Rey didn’t even wait for Ben to ask her before she explained, “It shows you the location of all the free food on campus.”

Ben laughed. Rey wandered over and he pulled her to him, kissing her firmly. Eventually, he broke away and said, “Well, come get some curry. It’s even better than free pizza. It’s full of vegetables.” Rey made a face. “You’re welcome for being the only thing standing between you and scurvy,” Ben told her sternly.

“You’ve been cooking a lot lately,” she observed, eyes full of equal parts suspicion and curiosity. “What happened to Postmates? You’re not single-handedly trying to topple the gig economy so I’ll spend more time with you, are you?” she asked teasingly.

“Oh, damn. You’ve discovered my masterplan,” he replied. “I’ve always liked to cook,” he continued, more seriously. “I just didn’t really have time until this new job.” 

“I’m glad,” she said, a genuine smile on her face. “I’ll have to get you some red tiger eye for the kitchen. It will encourage culinary creativity.”

Ben rolled his eyes dramatically, but it was just performative. He actually really appreciated all of Rey’s New Age trinkets. If nothing else, they reminded him that she was part of his life and clearly cared for him.

They ate together, alternating companionable silence with pleasant conversation. Ben couldn’t remember the last time he felt so content.

Although Ben had suddenly found himself with an unusual quantity of spare time, Rey was still busy most nights of the week. Between classes, studying, and her numerous side hustles, Ben only saw her in fits and bursts. And those fits and bursts were usually limited to sex, food, and Netflix.

As they finished their dinner, Rey said, “Hey, Ben, uh… I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

Ben looked up at her. She was looking down at her bowl, absently fiddling with her spoon. His contentment was abruptly replaced with nerves. “What about?” he finally forced out, valiantly attempting nonchalance.

“Um, I was just thinking… uh… um, what is this? What are we?”

“What do you mean?”

“I was just wondering… we’ve been sleeping together for quite a few weeks now…”

“Sleeping together? That’s all?”

“No,” she replied quickly. “I mean, I don’t know… what else would you call it?”

“Dating,” Ben replied, genuinely hurt by her casual characterization. _Falling in love,_ he thought wistfully, but he wasn’t ready to say that aloud yet. He wished the pain in his voice was less obvious.

“Well, that’s the thing, Ben. We can’t be dating because we’ve never actually been on a date… you’ve never asked me on a date.” She looked up at him, then.

Ben met her gaze, shocked by her words. “What?!”

“I mean, sure, you’ve paid for my dinner… a lot… but you’ve never actually said the words ‘Rey, can I take you out on Friday night?’ or ‘Rey, would like like to go to the symphony with me?’”

“You want to go to the symphony?” Ben asked, surprised.

“Well, no. Not particularly. It’s just an example.” She looked down again, cheeks heating up with blush. “The closest you’ve ever gotten was the observatory.”

“That was definitely a date,” he told her confidently, ignoring the several times he had explicitly characterized it as a non-date.

“Ben, you asked me to teach you about astrology.”

Now Ben was blushing. He _had_ meant to ask her on a date that time but, at the last minute, he’d lost his nerve. Same with the donor event. The more Ben thought over the last few months of knowing Rey, the truer her words rang.

“Rey,” Ben began. 

“Yes?” she replied, still looking down and with uncharacteristic hesitation. Ben considered Rey a force of nature. She rarely seemed unsure of herself in anything. 

_And now it’s all your fault she’s so skittish,_ he chastised himself, his old self-loathing rising. Ben pushed it back down. He could fix this.

Ben stayed silent until Rey was forced to look up at him. He put down his spoon and cleared his throat. He was resolved. Confident. “Rey,” he repeated her name. “Can I take you out tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow? That’s not very much notice,” she told him, barely suppressing a grin.

“Next Saturday, then?” Ben immediately amended.

“Tomorrow works.” Rey’s smile was radiant now. “Where are you taking me?”

“Dinner and a movie.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

They continued gazing at each other for several more seconds. “Ben,” Rey said finally, breaking their intensity. 

“Yes?”

“Do you want to fool around now?”

“Yes, Rey.”

Rey stood from the table and walked, smirking, over to Ben. She grabbed his hand and led him to his bedroom, leaving the dirty dishes to be done another day.

 

—


End file.
